The criminal charges against former prime minister Ehud Olmert were a “political assassination,” PLO Executive Committee Secretary-General and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Monday evening.
“In November 2008, after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert exchanged maps with [Palestinian] President Mahmoud Abbas of two states on the 1967 borders with mutually agreed swaps of land in size and value, he was brought down by corruption charges,” Erekat wrote on Twitter.
Who is afraid of the two States solution on the 1967 borders ? Who is putting Israelis and Palestinians in harm’s way by introducing a plan of apartheid , settlements and annexation? Who is targeting every day those on both sides who stands tall for two states on1967 borders ? https://t.co/2W0ZcdKMZb— Dr. Saeb Erakat الدكتور صائب عريقات (@ErakatSaeb) September 21, 2020
“Who is afraid of the two States solution on the 1967 borders? Who is putting Israelis and Palestinians in harm’s way by introducing a plan of apartheid, settlements and annexation? Who is targeting every day those on both sides who stands tall for two states on [the basis of the] 1967 borders?”
Answering the hypothetical question whether “after Israel’s Agreements with the UAE and the Kingdom of Bahrain: Can there be Peace without the Palestinians,” Erakat wrote, “NO. Peace two states 1967 borders. Live and let live. Equal neighbors.”
People ask me after Israel’s Agreements with the UAE and the Kingdom of Bahrain: Can there be Peace without the Palestinians ?Answer : NO. Peace two states 1967 borders . Live and let live . Equal neighbors.— Dr. Saeb Erakat الدكتور صائب عريقات (@ErakatSaeb) September 21, 2020
Olmert was convicted of breach of trust in July 2012, and of bribery in 2014. In a 2015 retrial, Olmert was convicted of fraud, breach of trust and tax evasion over the Talansky case he was previously exonerated over in 2012.
Facing pressure from members of his coalition over his corruption investigations, Olmert resigned his office as prime minister before being officially indicted by the State Attorney’s Office.
According to Erekat, the charges that led to Olmert’s resignation were tied to his political activity, particularly his peace proposal to Abbas, nicknamed the “napkin map” by Al Jazeera.
According to Olmert’s 2008 proposal, Israel would annex Gush Etzion, major settlements Modiin Illit, Betar Illit and Ma’ale Adumim, the settlements around Ariel and the settlements around Ma’ale Shomron in the northwestern West Bank.
A Palestinian rendering of Olmert’s “napkin map”The Palestinians would, in turn, receive portions of the Negev desert west of Hebron, south of the West Bank, west of the Dead Sea and in the Gaza border communities.
The number of settlers to be included in Israeli territory was estimated around 413 thousand, with approximately 56 thousand being evacuated. Olmert’s offer reportedly included portions of east Jerusalem around the Old City and north of the French Hill.
Erekat‘s comments on Olmert seem similar to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s various public accusations, claiming that the cause for his own indictments are a retaliation for his political activity.
In early September N12‘s Amit Segal revealed documents reportedly showing cases of misconduct by Israel Police and the State Attorney’s Office, including the alleged cover-up of a conflict of interest relating to the corruption investigations against Netanyahu.
According to Segal, Superintendent Avi Rutenberg, the investigator in Netanyahu’s corruption Case 2000 on an alleged bribery offer by Yediot Aharonot publisher Noni Mozes, was having an affair with Mozes’ sister, Judy Nir-Mozes, when nominated head of the investigation.
The issue regarding the conflict of interests reportedly rose following allegations before Rutenberg’s nomination. The officer reportedly denied the allegations, only for his wife to confirm the claims to police a year and a half later. According to Segal, Rutenberg was reprimanded and the case was then forwarded to the PID.
The department reportedly said there was sufficient evidential basis to investigate Rutenberg for obstruction of justice.
As the case was forwarded to the PID parallel to police recommendation to indict Netanyahu, Nitzan and his deputy Shlomo Lemberger reportedly hindered the investigation. A document cited by Segal showed Lemberger forbade the PID to investigate the conflict of interest, citing “obvious reasons.”
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